


Birthday Surprises

by helsinkibaby



Category: FBI (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff, Het, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26702773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Kristen gets a surprise on her birthday. In more ways than one.
Relationships: Kristen Chazal/Jubal Valentine
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Birthday Surprises

It's not that Kristen doesn't love her job, because she does. She loves being in the JOC, basically solving puzzles for a living, loves the hum of the room, the whole team working together to chase down bad guys. And she knows she's lucky too, because every so often she gets to use her field agent training, gets to go out in the field and be useful there too - she literally gets to have her cake and eat it and she made a promise to herself, back when she was lying in a hospital bed, praying that the second graft on her carotid artery would take, that she would never forget that, never take it for granted. 

She's not. She's really not. 

But there's not an FBI agent, living or dead, who enjoys being stuck in a car on a stakeout for hours on end. 

And today of all days, there about a million other things that Kristen would rather be doing. 

She's pulled from her reverie by the car door opening and Emily sliding back in. It had been her turn to do the coffee run but when Kristen glances across at her, she's surprised to see that she's carrying more than two cups in a takeout tray. She's about to ask a question but the other woman places the cardboard holder between them before holding up one finger, silencing her. Then Emily reaches into the paper bag she's holding and the smell of sugar hits Kristen like a two by four, making her mouth water. When Emily's hand emerges holding a cupcake piled high with frosting, she offers it to Kristen and says, "I'd put a candle in it and sing happy birthday but that's not very safe, or very inconspicuous... plus, if I sing, it definitely won't be a happy birthday, so..."

Kristen is laughing by the time she finishes. She doesn't actually know Emily that well, is more than surprised that the other woman has gone to so much trouble for her. "How did you know?" she asks as she accepts the cupcake and Emily shrugs. 

"I hear things," she says in an exaggeratedly mysterious fashion. She shrugs. "And I figured this was the last place you wanted to be on your birthday, so..."

"Thank you." Kristen is genuinely touched. So touched that she holds back out the cupcake. "You want half?" 

Emily instantly looks guilty. "Well, I figured I couldn't make you share, because it's your birthday. But also, you'd feel guilty if you had some and I didn't, so..." She reaches back into the bag, pulls out another, identical, cupcake. "I took one for the team." 

Kristen bites back a laugh with some difficulty. "Oh, I see. How generous of you." 

Emily's smile is the broadest and most genuine Kristen has ever seen it. 

They eat the cupcakes - which taste as good as they look, Emily chose well - in silence, save for the odd appreciative noise, which Kristen would be embarrassed about making except Emily is doing the same thing and she figures that they'll each keep the other's secret. Once the treats are gone and neatly disposed of, they're sipping coffee and keeping an eye out for their quarry when Emily speaks again. 

"So, are you doing anything this evening? I hope Jubal has something nice planned for you to make up for this." 

Stakeout or not, Kristen's head whips around to look at her. "Jubal?" She knows her voice is high, forces it down with some difficulty. "Why would Jubal... I mean... I don't know what..." 

It's definitely not the smoothest response she's ever given and she stops talking because she knows she's not fooling anyone. Especially not Emily if the way she's biting her lip is anything to go by. She might be embarrassed that she's put her foot in it. Or she might be biting back a laugh. It's hard to say. "Oh..." she says slowly. "Am I not supposed to know about that?" 

It's on the tip of Kristen's tongue to deny it all over again. Instead she shakes her head, exhales a long sigh. "What gave it away?" She's hoping it wasn't her. Jubal will never let her live it down. 

"You remember the first day we met?" 

Kristen does, she just doesn't like it. Between the shock of coming back to work after her injury, standing in that doorway, looking at everyone acting as if nothing had ever happened, seeing Emily fit in there, smiling and laughing and literally taking her place... she'd wanted to hate the other woman, and she's not proud of it. 

"You walked in and everyone was so happy to see you." Emily is smiling, obviously oblivious to Kristen's thoughts. "Hugs galore, even from Scola, Mr "Feelings, What Are Those, I Don't Have Them" himself." The description of Scola makes Kristen chuckle, even if it's not one she entirely agrees with anymore. She's seen a different side of Scola. "The only person who didn't hug you? Was Jubal." 

Kristen frowns. It seems circumstantial at best. "That doesn't prove anything."

"Not by itself," Emily allows. "But from what everyone else was saying, it seemed like they hadn't seen you in a while. Jubal was the one who told them all you were still in the healing phase... protective. And the way you told him you were fine... it just didn't seem like it was the first time he'd seen you since you'd been off." Which still wasn't a lot. "When he didn't hug you, I figured he must have already done it privately."

Kristen narrows her eyes. "That's a pretty big leap." Emily doesn't know she's actually right on the money, that Jubal had hugged her that morning, when he'd left her apartment after kissing her soundly and telling her that he'd see her when she got in. The notion that they're so easy to read doesn't sit well with Kristen - who else knows about the two of them? 

"Maybe." Emily shrugs again. "Or maybe everyone else is so used to seeing the two of you that they don't realise what they're looking at. I've been keeping an eye out... no-one else seems to have worked it out." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "Although for what it's worth? If you want to keep it a secret, maybe you should tell Jubal to stop looking at you like he thinks you hung the moon. He does it all the time when he doesn't think anyone is looking."

"He does not." Kristen laughs at that, feels her cheeks heat, but Emily's gaze is steady on hers when she answers. 

"He absolutely does." A pause, then, "It's disgustingly sweet, actually." Another pause. "Please don't tell him I said that." 

"You keep my secret, I'll keep yours." 

Emily extends her hand. "Deal." 

They shake on it and look back out the window again, intent on their work. After a few seconds, Kristen asks just one more question. "But just so we're clear... it was mostly Jubal who tipped you off, right?"

Emily's laugh is answer enough.


End file.
